Big Turnout,Big Stars for Rolex Miami OCR

by Barby MacGowan on 23 Jan 2006 The 2006 edition of US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR is shaping up as the biggest in a decade, with over 570 sailors from 39 countries registered as of press time. The large turnout pays tribute to the event's significance on the world stage of Olympic and Paralympic sailing and Miami's reputation as the perfect winter training ground for world caliber one-design sailors. Racing is due to begin tomorrow and continue for five days.

Two athletes at the very top of their game are Spain's Fernando Echávarri and Antón Paz (both from Galicia). The current world champions in the Tornado class, the two were bestowed with Rolex World Sailor of the Year titles in November. ‘This is an important ranking regatta for us,’ said Echávarri, who with Paz already sits at the top of the world rankings. ‘Of course, we are here, too, because there are many good people attending, and it is very cold now in the north of Spain where we are based.’

The Americans, French and British teams head Echávarri's list of ‘competitors to watch.’ The USA's star players are 2004 Olympic silver medallists John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, Texas), who are also defending champions.

Another current world champion team is that of USA's defenders in the Yngling class: Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Deborah Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.). The trio is perhaps the most formidable on the world circuit, with Barkow having recently been named US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.

Of the 41 sailors on the UK's national sailing team, which calls itself Skandia Team GBR 2008, 30 are sailing in the Rolex Miami OCR. Among the notables is Star entrant Iain Percy (Barnes, UK) who has medalled in the Star Worlds the last four years and took gold at the 2000 Olympics in the Finn class. 49er sailors Chris Draper (Landford, UK) and Simon Hiscocks (Portland, UK) are number one in the world and won the bronze in their class in Athens; however Draper twisted his ankle in training and is ‘touch and go’ on whether he will make it to the starting line tomorrow.

The UK's gold medal Yngling skipper from Athens, Shirley Robertson, has not shown, but her crew from that event, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb (both from Weymouth, UK) are entered, forming the nucleus of a new Olympic campaign for that country with Victoria Rawlinson as crew (Ayton is skipper).


‘There will be great interest here as to how they get on--whether the Sarah’s have a credible challenge,’ said Stephen Park, the British Sailing Team's Olympic Manager.

Five defending champions come from the U.S. They are the 470 Women's team of Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (Shelter Island, N.Y./Matawan, N.J.); 49er sailors Morgan Larson/Pete Spaulding (Capitola, Calif./Lafayette, Ind.); Laser sailor Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.); Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); and the Star team of Andrew Horton/Brad Nichol (Newport, R.I./Miami Beach, Fla.).

While the Laser class has the largest fleet at this regatta, the Star class, second-largest in size, also promises very exciting racing. Every Star World champion since 1999 is competing in that class. Among the headliners are the top nine teams on ISAF's world rankings list, including three-time Olympic medallist Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) sailing with fellow Olympic medallist Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.), and current World Champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (Martigues/La Rochelle, France).

‘It's an absolutely fabulous turnout, both in terms of numbers and quality,’ said US Sailing Team Head Coach Gary Bodie. ‘The forecast is for good breeze all week--a little lighter on Tuesday, then a cold front coming through after that.’

The competition will be raced in all classes selected for the next Olympic Games: 49er, 470 (Men & Women), Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Neil Pryde RS: X (Men & Women), Star, Tornado, and Yngling. Racing will also be held for the Sonar, one of the three events selected for the 2008 Paralympic Games.

The newly selected sailboard Neil Pryde RS: X will replace the Mistral in the 2008 Olympic Games. 'It's considered a hybrid design -- wider and faster with a centerboard that can sail upwind and in lighter winds. I think it'll be an exciting class,' Bodie said.

Sailors will begin racing each day at 10 a.m. out of the US Sailing Center and various yacht clubs in and around Coconut Grove. Winners in each class will be determined under a new format to be used in Beijing. The top ten after four days of racing will compete in a final race that will count double points.

In addition to Rolex, sponsors for the Rolex Miami OCR are Nautica, Extrasport, Gill, Harken, McLube, New England Ropes, Nikon, Sperry Top-Sider, Vanguard Sailboats, Vineyard Vines, and Zodiac. Rolex and Nautica are also sponsors of the US Sailing Teams.

Headquarters for US Sailing’s 2006 Rolex Miami OCR are at the US Sailing Center, with classes hosted by the US Sailing Center; Coral Reef, Key Biscayne and Miami Yacht Clubs; the Coconut Grove Sailing Club; and Shake-A-Leg-Miami. The event is organized by US SAILING, the national governing body of the sport.

For complete rosters, photos and results, visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR.